Martial arts

      Martial arts, often referred to as fighting systems, are systems of codified practices and civilization of training for combat, generally without the use of guns and other modern weapons. Today, people study martial arts for a variety of reasons including sport, fitness, self-defense, self-cultivation (meditation), mental discipline & character development, and self-confidence.

Martial arts and dance

       Some martial arts in a variety of cultures can be performed in dance-like settings, either for evoking forcefulness/pumping adrenaline in training of battle, or rather showing off skill in a more stylized manner, or both.Examples of such war dances contain the gymnopaidiai from ancient Sparta, New-Zealand's Haka, the Sabre Dance depicted in Khachaturian's ballet Guyana, the Maasai "jumping" dance, Brunei's Aduk-Aduk, Qatar's Ayyalah, Pakistani/Afghan Khattak Dance, Brazil's Capoeira, Scotland's Dannsa Biodag ... (not to forget the spoofing weasel war dance).

      Often there appears some pressure between martial arts (considered macho) and dancing (considered more effeminate): e.g. Plato's The Laws devotes some consideration to this topic. The solution given to this by the Maasai can be measured amongst the most original: they perform their "jumping" martial dance in women's attire, because, as they say, women are prettier than men.Ballet, as it originated at the court of Louis XIV also goes back to a sort of uncertainty between being the strongest and being the most refined: worldly power was granted by the king to his noblemen, according to their ability to perform refined "ballet" dancing.

      In addition, in theatre and film, the fight scene is essentially a dance meant to depict hand to hand combat.